Cattle Market Pulse

Ash Flat Livestock Auction Market Report

Ash Flat, Arkansas · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Friday, December 29, 2023

760 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Ash Flat Livestock Auction report →

heavy 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $209.49/cwt +6.81 vs last sale · ≈ $985/hd at 470 lb · 12 head
light 4-weight M&L 1 heifers $215.52/cwt +9.72 vs last sale · ≈ $901/hd at 418 lb · 11 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 760 304 913
Feeder cattle 168 222 128
Slaughter cattle 317 79 335
Replacement cattle 275 3 450

Market comments — USDA reporter

Compared to last week: Feeder steers and Feeder heifers were lightly tested. No trend established. Slaughter cows sold steady. Slaughter bulls sold 2.00-4.00 higher. Demand good for all classes.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
360 360 1 271.00 $271.00 $976 -16.50
400–445 426 7 257.00–268.00 $262.93 $1,120 -5.15
450–490 471 5 250.00–271.00 $259.67 $1,223 +11.44
490 fancy 490 1 294.00 $294.00 $1,441 —
500–525 514 8 235.00–258.00 $244.27 $1,256 —
515 fancy 515 1 267.00 $267.00 $1,375 —
550–575 569 4 224.00–240.00 $233.43 $1,328 +7.43
640 640 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,408 —
720 720 1 220.00 $220.00 $1,584 —
760–770 765 2 200.00–212.00 $205.96 $1,576 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305 305 1 230.00 $230.00 $702 —
390–395 393 2 220.00–245.00 $232.58 $914 —
415–445 430 2 220.00 $220.00 $946 —
490 490 1 235.00 $235.00 $1,152 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
315–325 320 2 220.00–241.00 $230.34 $737 +8.98
355–390 373 5 215.00–232.00 $224.02 $836 +15.52
400–445 418 11 210.00–230.00 $215.52 $901 +9.72
450–495 470 12 200.00–224.00 $209.49 $985 +6.81
500–510 507 3 211.00–219.00 $215.33 $1,092 +19.72
560 560 2 198.00–216.00 $207.00 $1,159 +3.74
600 600 1 210.00 $210.00 $1,260 +30.00
650–690 668 3 176.00–193.00 $182.89 $1,222 -7.07
720 720 1 184.00 $184.00 $1,325 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
335–340 338 2 200.00 $200.00 $676 +10.00
350–390 374 7 200.00–210.00 $201.36 $753 +13.81
400–445 426 7 200.00–204.00 $200.60 $855 +30.60
465–485 473 3 180.00–195.00 $188.43 $891 +8.43
530–545 538 2 170.00–190.00 $179.86 $968 +1.07
570–595 585 3 155.00–180.00 $171.20 $1,002 —
610–635 623 2 170.00–175.00 $172.45 $1,074 —
665 665 1 150.00 $150.00 $998 -20.00
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350–395 373 3 170.00–185.00 $179.71 $670 —
430 430 1 170.00 $170.00 $731 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
900–1500 1038 (<2 yrs)N/A 8 1,400.00–2,000.00 $1,687.65 —
1000–1800 1519 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 8 1,400.00–3,250.00 $2,491.77 —
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
305–345 325 2 220.00 $220.00 $715 +20.00
350–380 365 2 220.00–240.00 $229.59 $838 —
440 440 1 243.00 $243.00 $1,069 +39.13
475–485 480 2 220.00–226.00 $223.03 $1,071 +3.72
570 570 1 218.00 $218.00 $1,243 —
685 685 1 191.00 $191.00 $1,308 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
350–390 370 2 263.00–286.00 $273.88 $1,013 +8.50
400–420 410 2 276.00–287.00 $281.37 $1,154 +21.38
455–490 467 3 240.00–256.00 $245.55 $1,147 +11.81
525 525 1 251.00 $251.00 $1,318 +10.36
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1825 1825 Young (2-4 yrs)N/A 1 120.00 $120.00 $2,190 —
Medium and Large 3 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
435 435 1 200.00 $200.00 $870 —

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Slaughter Cows

Boner ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
915–1215 1052 80-85% 11 80.00–84.00 $81.33 $856 +3.20
965–1310 1082 80-85% 16 75.00–79.00 $76.83 $831 -1.30
1035–1275 1167 80-85% 3 85.00–87.50 $86.21 $1,006 +0.46
Lean ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
690–1175 934 85-90% 8 60.00–69.00 $65.44 $611 —
890–1230 1092 85-90% 9 70.00–74.00 $71.18 $777 —
Breaker ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Dressing Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1235–1435 1301 75-80% 5 80.00–88.00 $82.62 $1,075 —
1220–1705 1480 75-80% 7 89.00–97.00 $92.19 $1,364 +7.98

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Slaughter Bulls

YG1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
1480 1480 1 105.00 $105.00 $1,554 —
1500–2045 1675 4 117.00–125.00 $119.79 $2,006 —
1560–1905 1733 3 109.00–112.00 $111.00 $1,924 —

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Bred Cows

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $
800–1100 967 Young (2-4 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 3 950.00–1,200.00 $1,079.31
950–1250 996 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 13 1,100.00–1,750.00 $1,619.31
1000 1000 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 3 1,300.00 $1,300.00
950–1100 1006 Young (2-4 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 143 1,825.00–2,450.00 $2,240.16
900–1100 1010 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd Stage (4-6 mo) 5 800.00–1,600.00 $1,405.94
1000–1150 1075 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 2 1,550.00–1,900.00 $1,737.21
1100 1100 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,025.00 $1,025.00
1100–1200 1150 Young (2-4 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 3 1,200.00–1,400.00 $1,319.57
1100–1250 1167 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) 9 1,250.00–1,850.00 $1,535.71
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hd
1065 1065 Aged (>8 yrs)3rd Stage (7-9 mo) 1 87.00 $87.00 $927

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Cow-Calf Pairs

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/head)
Weight (lb) Avg wt AgeStage Head Price range Avg $ Δ last sale
850–1000 967 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 6 1,200.00–2,350.00 $1,755.60 —
1000 1000 Young (2-4 yrs)Open 18 1,300.00–2,050.00 $2,008.33 —
1000 1000 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 8 1,260.00–1,800.00 $1,327.50 —
1050 1050 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)Open 10 1,500.00 $1,500.00 —
1050 1050 Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs)Open 8 2,250.00 $2,250.00 —
1200 1200 Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)1st Stage (1-3 mo) 1 1,800.00 $1,800.00 —

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Reading this report

What does "Medium and Large 1" mean?

USDA feeder grades describe frame size and muscle thickness, not quality of the individual animal. "Medium and Large" is the frame score; the number is muscle (1 = heaviest muscled). "Medium and Large 1–2" pens mix both muscle scores — common across the Southeast.

What is $/cwt?

Dollars per hundredweight — per 100 lb of animal. A 500-lb calf at $450/cwt brings 5 × $450 = $2,250. Lighter cattle usually bring more per cwt but less per head.

Why are some prices per head?

Bred cows, cow-calf pairs, and some replacement classes sell by the head, not by weight. We show those exactly as USDA reports them — a $/head figure is never converted into $/cwt on this site.

Where do these numbers come from?

From the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's Livestock Market News — federal reporters at the sale. We publish each report in full and link the official USDA document at the top of the page.